A common experience with passage locks, particularly with children and those of advanced age, is either accidental locking or intentional locking, without understanding of how to unlock the type of lock commonly referred to as a passage lock, wherein a degree of privacy is afforded a secured area, such as a bathroom or a bedroom. The sensation of being locked in a room can be frightening, if not life threatening, and it is common for passage locks to be provided with a means of opening the lock from the exterior by means of readily available secondary implements such as coins, keys, screwdrivers, and the like.
The present invention, although it contains such provisions, also substantially reduces the likelihood of being locked in by virtue of the panic proof feature of the present lock. The lock may be secured from the inside by means of a conventional thumb turn. However, in addition to unlocking by means of the internal thumb turn, the lock may also be opened by operation of the inside handle, often referred to as a panic proof device.